All-England Badminton Championship: Lakshya and Malvika Progress, Prannoy Exits Early
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Synopsis
In a thrilling start at the All-England Badminton Championship, Lakshya Sen advances after a comeback victory, while H.S. Prannoy faces an unexpected first-round elimination. Malvika Bansod also shines by moving to the pre-quarterfinals.
Key Takeaways
- Lakshya Sen defeats Su Li-yang to progress.
- H.S. Prannoy loses to Toma Junior Popov in straight games.
- Malvika Bansod wins against Yeo Jia Min.
- Indian mixed doubles team exits early.
- P.V. Sindhu is set to return to action.
Mumbai, March 11 (NationPress) Leading player Lakshya Sen staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Chinese Taipei’s Su Li-yang, while his fellow Indian H.S. Prannoy faced an early exit from the prestigious All-England Badminton Championship, losing to France's Toma Junior Popov in a first-round encounter held in Birmingham on Tuesday.
It was a day of mixed results for India as Malvika Bansod advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF Super 1000 tournament after a challenging victory against Singapore’s Yeo Jia Min. In mixed doubles, the pair of Sathish Kumar Karunakaran-Aadya Variyath failed to advance beyond the first round, falling 21-6, 21-15 to China’s Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui.
Despite Prannoy's early exit, Lakshya Sen kept India’s hopes alive by moving on to the second round. Ranked 15th in the latest men’s singles badminton rankings, Lakshya triumphed over Su Li-yang with scores of 13-21, 21-17, 21-15 in a match that lasted one hour and 15 minutes.
After losing the first game and trailing 11-7 in the second, the All-England finalist from two years ago, Lakshya Sen, mounted a comeback to win six consecutive points, forcing a decisive third game. He maintained his momentum, pulling ahead from a 15-15 tie to secure the victory against world No. 37 Su Li-yang.
Meanwhile, Prannoy, who earned a bronze medal in men's singles at the 2023 World Championships and a silver at the 2022 Asian Games, lost to the 26-year-old World No. 17 with scores of 21-19, 21-16.
The 32-year-old Prannoy started strong, quickly gaining a 5-1 lead in Game One before Popov caught up at 6-6. The two players battled closely until 11-11, but Prannoy took a 15-12 lead. However, Popov rallied to win the opening game.
The second game was competitive as well, with Popov maintaining a slight lead until 7-6 and then extending it to 13-9. Prannoy leveled the score at 13-13, but his opponent secured three consecutive points and clinched the game at 21-16, winning the match in 53 minutes.
In another notable performance, Malvika Bansod advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the BWF Super 1000 tournament after a hard-fought win over Yeo Jia Min that lasted one hour and three minutes. The world No. 28 upset the 12th-ranked player with scores of 21-13, 10-21, 21-17.
Two-time Olympic medalist P.V. Sindhu is set to lead the Indian charge in women's singles. Currently ranked 15th, Sindhu will return to action for the first time since the Indonesia Masters in January.
In men’s doubles, the seventh-seeded pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty will kick off their campaign against Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard in the first round. The world No. 7 Indian duo has not played together competitively since January’s Indonesia Masters. In women’s doubles, two-time All-England semifinalists Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand, along with Tanisha Crasto-Ashwini Ponnappa and Priya Konjengbam-Shruti Mishra, are among India’s representatives.
